The Year Of Change
by whywouldudodat
Summary: Siena Flores wants to be the biggest person in fashion in the wizarding world. When Siena receives a book on titled: How to Become a successful young woman she decides it's about time she makes that dream she should make that dream come true. But she discovers that goals can't be accomplished by a set of instructions. Things get in the way like life, love...
1. Me

Why was this the year of change? You may ask. Well, it was the year I experienced my first heartbreak, the year I found another side of me that I never even knew existed, the year my biggest goal was achieved, the year I realised that the goal I wanted to achieve wasn't really what I wanted but I'm getting a little ahead of myself. So here's what I learnt: basically if I mushed all of the eventful things that happened this year the biggest thing I've learned is no dream is perfect. Making your dreams come true requires hard work and sacrifices and you'll have to live with the sorrow of the consequences. But most of all making your dreams come true is ambition. I always thought ambition was the only admirable quality of Slytherin's. I could never really see why such a wonderful quality could be the main attribute of a Slytherin. But now I have seen the ugliness of that quality that was once so attractive. Because to be ambitious you have to step on a few people to get to the top. And with every step you take you become more selfish and greedy until you don't even recognise yourself any more. br /br /I never really fit in anywhere not with the kids at school and not with my family. So as you could assume I was a very lonely person. I didn't talk to anybody at school besides my teachers and I was ignored at home so please ignore my complete ignorance to habits of speech, picking up on people's emotions, and getting hints because I didn't know any better. Now that we've covered what you should expect of my social skills let's now talk about what you should expect of how the people around me react to me. The simple explanation is: they don't. I think the root problem of my loneliness is due to four main traits of mine: They are intuitive, logical, curious, and honest. I was always bored by the other little children's blabber and when I tried to talk about the things I was interested in they ignored me.

For example here is how a conversation with my six year old self and my other class mates at 'Mrs. Rumpbottom's school for young witches wizards' might go

"One time my mummy got me some Enchanted Block's for Christmas and then my little brother took it off me and played with it. When it was my Christmas present! I told my mummy and she said I have to share with him. I cried for ten minutes and mummy just put me in the corner!" -six year old class mate

"Did your mother know about the age restriction! It is dangerous not to follow toy age restrictions! But then again I think Enchanted Block's give can give children excellent skills for the future. You could gain observation skills, planning skills, and great coordination skills. But I still don't think it's appropriate to let a six year play Enchanted Block's. You could step on them!" -six year old me

"Nerd" *giggles and runs away to tell friends* -six year old class mate

I never developed required social skills and I think I could blame that on my dad. He's the one that would make sure I could read before I went to school.  
He's the one that loaded me with books. Of course I can't complain because I like the person I've become as a result of the curious attitude I've developed from my father and the books he's given me. It's just other people who don't like the company of someone like me.  
I think my older brother and I are my father's favourites because we're the only ones who were interested in what he taught us and the only ones who have ever gotten an outstanding in their OWL's. I have a big family that consists of five brothers, four sisters, five owls,  
one toad, three cats, two goldfish, one dog, my grandmother, my mother, my father, and me.

It may seem like a lot of people (and names) to remember but keep in mind that approximately 98.789% of this book is set in Hogwarts and only five of my sibling attend Hogwarts. The sad thing is I have nine siblings and only one of them has proper conversations with me and that sibling has been disowned from the family. But ever since he was banned from Pistone Manor we've been speaking by owl. And after all the bad decisions I've made I don't think I get to say what is a bad choice and what is a good choice. But this is the one decision I know was right because that summer Cas (Casparo) invited me to the Bulgaria vs. Ireland match with ticket's he got from Amos Diggory. Why was this match so important? You might be asking. Well that match was the place where I met the good part of the year of change: Cedric Diggory.


	2. The Longest Comute

Okay, this is the moment that things took a turn for the worst and the best. The moment I lied to my parents for the first time. I knew they wouldn't let me go to the quidditch match if they knew I was going with Cas especially since I was supposed to spending the night with the at Malfoy manor. Of course it wasn't my choice to go to the Malfoy's for the night (and day) it was my parents. You see my parents are pure blood supremacists and they decided they where going to play cupid and set Malfoy and I up. Although I think Malfoy is a git he is the only male pure blood supremacist around my age that isn't either a) Incredibly stupid or b) Incredibly violent so if I want to marry and still be part of my family I think Malfoy would be the best choice as a husband unless we started looking outside Britain which I think I could get my father to comply to seeing as he from Spain and probably knows a few suitors there. You might be thinking 'Really an arraigned marriage' but know I wouldn't exactly call it that. I would call it a oh look no one in of our close relatives has married a Malfoy or a Black for the last couple decades let's choose them! kinda thing. I find the measures our families go to make sure we have no muggles, muggle-born's, or squib's in our family a little to extreme considering most pure-blood marriages are bordering incestuous.

I'm getting a bit off topic. But the lie was that I was meeting with the Malfoys that night so I could get to meet Draco's mother, Narcissa and spend more time with Draco. They had been the ones to suggest the idea so I forged my mothers handwriting and signature and sent my owl, Stoner to deliver the message. But it wasn't that simple because the whole thing turned out to be a fiasco. I ran into my first problem at 4:30 am, the morning of the match.

I told my parents that I would meet the Malfoys outside the estate and we would apparate together to Malfoy Manor but instead my plan was to fly by broom to my brother and I's meeting place. I quickly pulled on my clothes And tried to sneak out without waking anyone. I left though the kitchen door and walked across our quidditch field to get to our broom shed (Yes we have a quidditch field and broom shed. My mum loves quidditch and it's part of her job so deal with it.) I cringed as my ears met the sound of rusted metal rubbing against metal as I slid open the door. I looked around the dusty shed looking for my reliable Nimbus 2000 when a small pale hand reached for my face and put itself on my mouth as I screamed. The had pulled me in and hushed me.

"Shut up someone might hear. It's only me"

The horrified look dropped from my face. "Val what are you doing!" I screeched

"I told you to shut up Bart has ears like a house elf he can hear conversations from yards away." Val said with a strange tone that could only be described s a mixture of impatience, annoyance, and caution.

"Answer me."

"I need a ride" she said vaguely.

"How did you know I would be here? Where do you want to go? Why?"

"Your not as great at covering your tracks as you think you are. I found the notes and I want to go to the same place as you." She said with a glint of triumph in her eyes. Val is always good at picking up on things. She's silently intelligent and she's smarter than anyone gives her credit for.

"You need a ticket to get in to the match" I pointed out.

"I know. I'm not stupid. I have a ticket and I'm going with my friends. I just need you to fly me to a meeting spot near the portkey that your using."

As she pointed out she's not stupid. She'll have an alibi to tell our parents so what harm could it do. "Fine"

I grabbed my Nimbus 2000 and reached for the handle to the door but to my surprise the door opened for me. Outside the door with a devilish grin on his face was Bart.

"Good Morning ladies." he said

"Uhhh I told you to be quiet. I told you he would hear us. But you wouldn't listen. You never listen do you!" Val hissed venomously.

At the sight of him my heart sank, it was over. Bart was going to run to our parents and tell them that I wasn't where they thought I would be. There was no use trying to make up an excuse. I knew by the look on his face that he had been listening for a long time.

"Let's cut the crap. I know your going to the Bulgaria vs. Ireland quidditch match. You know I'll tell mum and dad if you don't take me. Now here are the guidelines of my compliance:  
1. You can't ask me how I got my ticket.  
have to cover for me by writing a note saying that I went with you to Malfoy Manor.  
have to let me take your new Firebolt."

I mulled it over for a couple seconds. "Here are the guidelines for my compliance:  
1. If you got the tickets as a result of a crime minor or major you have to tell me how you got it.  
2. You have to stay with me the whole time.  
3. Take the Cleansweep or don't go at all.  
Agreed?"

"Agreed" He said and shook my hand.

"Agreed" I said returning the shake. "Now hand me some parchment to write a note and then we'll leave before we get caught"

He handed me a piece of parchment and a ready dipped quill. I wrote what he asked me to write then whistled for Stoner. With an excited hoot Stoner took the letter off me then we were off.

Conveniently enough Val and I were meeting people at the same spot. I landed on the top of the hill and looked around trying to find Cas and found him waving excitedly at the edge of the dense forest. I waited for Bart to land and together all three of us walked to the meeting spot.

"Hey Val, Bart, Siena what are you two doing here" he asked the big grin he wore never leaving his face.

"Hello Casparo" Val said evenly and strode away to meet her friends.

"She's finally gone! I don't understand why she has friends at all" Bart said with that devilish grin that is permanently stuck on his face. "Hey Cas!"

"What a pleasant surprise. I didn't know you'd be here"

"Yeah, well he blackmailed me"

Bart's grin grew wider if that's even possible.

"Let's get going I want you to meet Amos's son Cedric. do you know him?"

"I see him frequently but I've never spoken to him" I replied choosing my words carefully.

"Care to elaborate?"

"We're both prefects so I see him at meetings but as people tend to do he ignores me"

Cas looked at me sympathetically and pulled me in to an embrace as we walked. He looked down at my clothes.

"Siena, are you feeling sad?"

"Why would you ask that?" I said with alarm.

"Your wearing boring, black clothes that usually means your depressed"

"I was just trying to look inconspicuous while I snuck out. And since when do you pay attention to what I'm wearing?"

"When did y-"

"You know I'm here right." Bart said

"Please Bart your constant need for attention is interrupting our conversation" I replied

Bart's face distorted into a snarl. There, now he's stopped grinning.

I turned to pick up the conversation where we left off but we had arrived at a small clearing.

"Here we are!"

I saw a small stout man at the edge of the clearing and started to walk towards them when something heavy dropped in front of me from a low branch.

"Ahhh" I screamed.

My screams soon stopped as I looked down and saw a teenage boy crouching in front of me. Cedric Diggory. As I slowly realized that it wasn't an army of Bowtruckles trying to attack me the surprised look fell off my face to be replaced with a meek smile and blushing cheeks. He loooked up and I met a smirking but not condescending face. He hopped energetically off the ground and offered me his hand.

"Cedric Diggory, how do you do? he said kissing my hand.

I heard a derisive snort from behind me as Bart mumbled "It's like I'm not even here."

I suppose this was supposed to be a romantic or polite gesture but honestly all I could think about was how many germs he just spread from his mouth to my hand.

"Siena Flores, and I'm fine thank you for asking" I said politely instead of jerking my hand back.

"Come on Ced she just got here. Did you really have to hit on her the moment she got here?" Amos called out jollily.

"Just giving her a proper welcome Dad" He shouted back just as jollily.

I wonder what happy pills their mother feeds them in the morning because I would like some of that.

"Come on the Weasley's went off before us. They're waiting by the port key."

I followed Cedric back up the hill to the port key. I knew of the Weasley's, the twins are in my year but I never spoke to them because their whole family is in Gryffindor. The Gryffindor's seem to despise all Slytherin's whether they had done anything to them or not. I hate being a Slytherin it just gives more reasons for people not to talk to me and none of the Slytherin's talk to me either because our personalities are completely different. I have (or had) no idea why I was sorted into the house of people that were ambitious, cunning, and just plain sadists.

The Weasley's were in sight but they weren't alone. With them was Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, and My Sister! She would get in so much trouble if my parents found out she was associating with muggle-born's. We were met by a chorus of Hey!'s and Mate! like they hadn't just seen each other five minutes ago. Really, I don't understand how these people can be so joyful. But as they saw a Slytherin amongst my group they gave small moans and What is she doing here?'s. But one stood out amongst the rest.

"What are you doing here?" Val practically screeched.

What's that saying? Oh yeah it's a small wizard world.


End file.
